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I got a low 2:2 in second year. Is it possible for me to still graduate with a 2:1?

At my uni second year is 33% and third year is 66%. I averaged 54% in second year. Is it possible for me to still get a 2:1? I guess I'd need to average 66% in final year. Possible or unlikely?

Reply 1

SecondTasty

Original post by Anonymous

At my uni second year is 33% and third year is 66%. I averaged 54% in second year. Is it possible for me to still get a 2:1? I guess I'd need to average 66% in final year. Possible or unlikely?

You'll need a 64 in your third year for a 2:1 (54*.33 + 64*.66 = 60.06). Just to show you that nothing is out of reach, you could still get a first with a 79 in your final year (54*.33 + 79*.66 = 69.96 which ought to be rounded up to 70). See, all is still possible.

A good question to ask is what would having a first over a 2:1 — or even a 2:2 — help you accomplish. If it's getting into graduate school that's understandable, but if you're looking to enter the job market immediately then the grade might not be all that important. Understanding this might offer you the chance to prioritise work experience, entry-level positions and internships in your final year.

As already said, you'd only 'need' (exceptions can be made) a 2:1 grade if you were looking to go into postgraduate study — assuming you are an undergraduate (which I think you are). If you were looking at Oxbridge or other hyper-competitive universities, a "high" 2:1 — typically 68 and above — would be desirable, though as you'll read later isn't a requirement. If you're going into the job market then it might not be as consequential as you think; few people will ever ask the grade you got at university.

I wanted to write to you because I too started worrying about the grades I'd need to average to achieve a 2:1. It literally came down to the final 3 exams, and final 6 essays. I barely scraped together a 2:1. As fate would have it, however, this would be good enough to see me be offered a place at Cambridge.

I think one of the biggest regrets I have — speaking to you as if I were speaking to my former self — is not having sought out support or help from others. Now I understand if you don't feel comfortable approaching your peers about this, sometimes students will see you as their direct competition. There will, however, always be others you can go to for advice: your university help centre, your academic mentor/advisor (whatever the name for this is at your uni), your family if they have academic experience, online webinars, workshops, books, forums (like TSR).

I think if I'd sought out help, even if it was as little as finding myself a friendly study group, I could have easily — and comfortably — achieved a first. Now, I just hope that doesn't bite me back since I'm intending to do a PhD/DPhil.

Hope this helps.

Also — I nearly forgot to mention — you can always explore the possibility of resitting exams, if possible. And, remember that once you've acquired your degree it's as good as anyone else's, even if they got a first and you didn't. You put in the hours and completed all the required modules and assessments, same as them.

The system isn't fair, it favours some and discredits others, and, above all, academia isn't a true reflection of your personal competences, intelligence and capabilities; the experiences you gained whilst at university will always be worth more than the grade printed on your degree certificate (if you're lucky enough to receive a degree certificate with grades on it at all, my heart goes out to the students affected by the UCU strikes).

[Worth noting, don't take my words as gospel, I'm just a student like you. I don't have the professional experience to be qualified to give advice or offer consulting. What I've written here may well be wrong or inaccurate — though to the best of my knowledge it isn't.]

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